Betty White reports she's "in hog heaven" making the big-screen "The Proposal" with Sandra Bullock in Boston — despite the fact the romantic comedy has the beloved 86-year-old star working hours that would daunt a person half her age.

"I'm just so lucky to have a high energy level. I'm healthy as a horse," declares Betty, who wraps this week. "The day before yesterday, they picked me up at 6 in the morning, and we worked 'til 12:30 at night. But I feel wonderful. This is the happiest set I've ever worked on all my life. Between Sandra Bullock and (director) Anne Fletcher, Craig T. Nelson, who's a doll, Mary Steenburgen and Ryan Reynolds, filtering through the crew — everyone's making jokes and being kind."

The "octogenarian hottie" (as described by TMZ), who plays Sandra's grandmother-in-law in the movie, notes that she and the actress have become "good friends, and we're going to stay good friends … My first day, there was a knock on my trailer door, and it's Sandra — not sending someone over, but Sandra herself — with flowers and a dog book and a little rug with a dog on it. 'I wanted to make your trailer more like home,' she said. Isn't that something?"

And Sandra and her husband Jesse James are animal people, too, adds Betty, who's devoted herself to animal welfare for decades.

"Sandra has two little Chihuahuas, one with three legs and one with two legs, Poppy and Ruby. The two-legged one has little paws up on her chest and walks around on two feet like a little person," Betty reports. "She jumps up and down steps and boggles everyone's minds."

MEANWHILE: Betty's busy launching "Together: A Novel of Shared Vision," her latest project with blind actor/writer/musician/producer Tom Sullivan. You may recall the two collaborated years ago on the best-selling book "The Leading Lady" — the true story of Tom's first guide dog, and how she found a new purpose as Betty's companion after having to retire from working with Tom due to her own fading vision. Now Sullivan's written — with Betty's help — a terrific novel about a young man who loses his sight, his girlfriend, his way of life and the future he has planned for himself, and his journey to a life beyond his dreams with the aid of a seeing eye dog.

"I love working with Tom. He calls me Mom, and he's like my son," Betty says. "It's his book, but I did some of the visual stuff — there are certain subtleties in the dogs' behavior that he can't see. We had a wonderful time."

Says Sullivan, "The nicest part of this whole thing is the relationship with Betty as we both pay tribute to these astounding animals — today we have dogs trained to help people who are wheelchair-bound, who have epilepsy, autism … There are dogs who have smelled cancerous tumors — I read an incredible study done on that." "Together" is the first of four novels that will take his central characters into some of those worlds, encountering, for instance, therapy dogs who are aiding children with life-threatening diseases and battle-traumatized Iraq war veterans.

BUILDING A RELATIONSHIP: Gorgeous blond "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" lead carpenter Paige Hemmis seems to be getting along more than harmoniously these days with 23-year-old Jason Short of the Australian singing sensation The Ten Tenors. The two linked up in New Orleans when the show was there filming its season finale, which airs this Sunday (5/18) — but how they found time is a wonder, since the Tenors were only in the Big Easy for 22 hours. Nevertheless, Paige 'n' Jason have been spotted since then at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, and we hear she is presently Down Under while the Tenors continue performing sold out dates in their homeland. Perhaps she's helped redesign the tour bus?

Rhino Records is releasing a two-disc special edition of the Tenors' "Here's to the Heroes" album in conjunction with their "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" appearance.

CELEB SCENE: Getting into the literal mood with "Viva La White Girl" — as in his hit song — Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy showed up at SKY Group owner Derek Feinman's birthday party at One in New York the other night, spilling out of his limo with no less than eight white girls of various shapes and sizes. Once inside, we're told, McCoy rocked the party only taking breaks for shots of tequila as the girls looked on. In the song, though, the "Girl" isn't a girl, it's cocaine — which McCoy has flatly denied being addicted to, saying onstage that "Me and cocaine do not mix."

With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Emily Feimster.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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